“You think? September will be here before you know it.”
India caught my attention when she strode, one hand on hip, into the room.
Usually one for nerd chic, my niece couldn’t have dressed more differently. She wore a dusty green ruffle maxi dress, which she’d teamed with a pair of pink-suede gum-soled hushpuppies. She stopped just in front of me, and raising her oversized rectangle sunglasses to scan my choice of attire, looked me up and down. Full of disdain, she shook her head at my worn jeans and fitted black T-shirt, before continuing further into the room.
“Fashion model?” I said to Sal.
My sister nodded. “After the gerbil affair, we thought it best to move on.”
“She got the idea from you two actually,” Ryan said.
“Us?” Going off my wardrobe, I couldn’t believe that.
“It’s to do with being your bridesmaid,” Sal said, as if reading my mind.
India came to a second halt. This time next to Leo. “I’ve been practising my walk,” she said.
“For when you stroll down the aisle?” he asked.
India smiled. “Aisle, runway. Tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to.”
Great,I thought.On top of everything else, an eleven-year-old girl planned to upstage me.
India turned with a flourish. “Later,” she said, swanning back out of the room.
A picture of Marianne popped into my head. “Talking of fashion,” I said, suddenly animated. “You’ll never guess who Leo’s working for?”
“One of Ed’s friends, isn’t it?” Ryan said.
“I didn’t even know Dad had any,” Sal said. She shrugged in answer to my question. “One of his new golfing buddies?”
Ryan let out a laugh. “That’s got to be an exercise thing. As far as I’m aware, your father doesn’t like watching golf, never mind playing it.”
“Forget Dad,” I said. “Sal, do you remember Zane Rafferty?”
My sister swooned at the mention of his name. “Do I.”
Ryan appeared mystified. “Never heard of him.” He looked from Sal to me. “Should I have? Who is he?”
“Only the most handsome man that ever lived,” Sal replied.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Present company excepted, of course. Eh, Leo?”
“Leo’s working for his chief pattern maker,” I carried on. “The woman who turned his creations from a sketch into a blueprint, which was then used to make his clothes for real.”
“Really?” Shock spread across Sal’s face.
Giggling at her response, I knew she’d be impressed.
“Where did Dad meether?” Sal asked.
“He’s actually friends with Hugo, Marianne’s husband,” Leo said.
“Going off your two’s chatter I’m guessing this woman and her husband are important,” Ryan said. “And they do say golf is the sport of kings.”
“I thought that was hunting,” I said.
Ryan snickered. “You’d know. You being royalty and all that.”
